Jude was listening with growing alarm to Billy’s plan.
“But, dude, we’ll never even get out of here. Once we open the door, they’ll pile in and our guns won’t help in close quarters.”
“I didn’t say we use the door. Any exit is a door, buddy. My plan is just a little more in depth than opening the door and running.”
“I’m listening, fearless leader.”
“Okay, there are several parts to this. First we cut a hole in the roof. With the tools we have, that shouldn’t be hard. Next, we climb out onto the roof and wait to be seen. We go over to the wooded shore side of the roof, away from the boat, and try to draw most of them to that side. Next, we take out as many zombies as we can with the guns, leaving us each ten rounds or so. Hopefully the other side of the shelter house will be relatively free of zombies. We run to the other side of the roof, jump down, and head for the pontoon boat killing any undead monsters that get in our way. With what ammo we have left we should be able to hold them off while we get the boat started and get away. Just like downtown.”
Jude could see it working as Billy talked. He had always admired Billy for his way of taking charge and although there were a lot of things that could go wrong he felt more confident than he had in days.
“It’s a good plan, Billy, but it’s a good ways down from the roof. What if one of us breaks an ankle? It always happens in the movies like that.”
“Then that person gets left behind and he helps his buddy by delaying the zombies while they feed,” said Billy in a voice of stone.
“Billy, that’s cold, man.”
“Jude, I know I’ve talked about building a better civilization than the one that went down the toilet, but to build, we have to survive. If it’s me that can’t walk you keep going and if its you I’ll keep going, but let’s not think about that. There is one thing I am concerned about and that is getting the boat started. With the weather changing I think the charge will come back to the battery enough to start it, but if it doesn’t start we still have a chance, but it’s a long one.”
“Another long chance? What is it this time?”
“We jump into the water and swim for it. We’ve seen for ourselves that the dead cannot swim.”
“But, Billy-”
“I know. I know, but it’s the only way. Its that or we are the main course for dinner.”
“But, Billy, the water will still be freezing. We won’t make it.”
“We can and we will. People have swam across the English Cannel in forty degree weather.”
“Yeah, but they had diving suits and boats ready to pull them in if they got in trouble.”
“I know, but we have an advantage they didn’t have. We have a horde of hungry zombies on our tail. I think the adrenaline rush will be a good equalizer.”
“Okay, I guess you’re right. What choice do we have?”
“One more thing, we are going to have to leave our heavy coats and stuff behind. If we end up having to take a swim the winter clothing will drag us down for certain.”
“It’s still pretty cold at night,” said Jude in a worried voice.
“Its pretty cold at the bottom of the lake too, buddy.”
“Agreed,” Jude said with a short laugh. “When do we make our break for it?”
“Tomorrow, if the weather is clear. I don’t want to fight rain too. I want a bright sunny day. That’s human weather.”
“Tomorrow?” asked Jude feeling a bit of bravado drain from him. “Can’t we wait and see if it gets warmer in a week or so. Heck, it might be seventy this time next week.”
“Jude the lake will still be ice cold halfway through summer. We need to do this thing while we still have our strength and our courage.” Jude winced at those words. “Besides, I want to take the dried meat with us. We can both carry enough on ourselves to last us a few days. Food might not be easy to find in the world out there and we ain’t gonna have a lot of ammo for hunting.”
“Alright, Billy, you’re calling the play, as usual. I’m just along for the ride, brother.”
“Then we’re off this rock tomorrow. Let’s put it to a formal vote. I say aye.”
“Aye,” agreed Jude.
“What about you guys?” Billy hollered at the top of his voice.
There was renewed pounding on the walls and the growls reached a fever pitch.
“It’s unanimous,” Billy said solemnly.
Chapter Eight
“Hand me up the crow bar. I think I have a board loose.”
Jude handed the tool up to Billy. They had been working on making a break through the roof for twenty minutes and the going was slow. They had no drill or saw so there were using blunt force with a hammer and a screwdriver for a chisel. With the additional leverage of the crowbar, Billy pulled a four foot section of wood from the roof. He threw it down and started to work on the next one. Once the first board was out, Billy made short work of its neighbors and was soon throwing down shingles to clear the way. Jude was just trying to stay out of the field of fire, when a sunbeam hit him squarely in the face. It felt like a reprieve from a dungeon and he bathed in its warmth.
“I always said this place needed a sunroof,” said Jude. “Probably adds great resell value to our humble abode.”
“Well, since you didn’t do any of the work, I am glad you approve.”
“I’m a born supervisor, Billy.”
Billy pulled himself up through the hole he had made and pronounced himself certain that it was safe and that the roof would not cave in. He climbed back down and dusted himself off. It was a warm day again and Billy was perspiring. He wiped his forehead with his sleeve.
“Okay, here’s the deal, my friend, we each carry a rifle and a hand gun, plus a hand axe. Stuff your pockets with as much food as they will hold and then it’s up through the hole and onto the roof. Let’s try to draw them to the other side of the shelter house away from the beach and the boat.”
“Billy, we went through this a dozen times last night. We each have fifty rounds and we’ll try to take out all we can. If we’re careful we can knock out eighty of them and still have ten rounds apiece for the bolt to the boat.”
“Don’t count on getting eighty,” said Billy. “Let’s just make sure we save some in case we have to fight our way to the boat.”
“Understood, Billy. You ready?”
“I was born ready, baby. Lock and load.”
****************
Within moments, Billy had pulled himself through the opening in the roof again and in turn he helped pull Jude through as well. Their presence was noticed almost immediately by the dead surrounding them and a primitive cry went up. Hands reached for targets they could not yet grasp, still they tried and they scraped their nails bloody on the side of the building clawing at the two men.
“We’re just driving them crazy here,” said Billy. “Let’s head to the other side and see if they’ll follow and watch your step. If you go sliding over the side nothing will be able to save you.”
Jude nodded and took care as they traversed to the back of the building. The pitch of the roof was not steep, but the shingles were old and pebbly. Several times they each lost their footing a bit, but nevertheless made it to the other side intact.
Billy kneeled down and drew a bead with his rifle. It cracked once and Jude saw a zombie fall ten paces from the building.
“One down and hundreds to go, buddy,” he said with a smile.
Billy felt free again in the sun. The roof was safe and taking down the dead and ending their misery felt good. He hoped Jude was up for the scramble to the boat. He worried about his small friend.
“Got one!” shouted Jude as his rifle rang out. “Another monster that won’t feed on anyone on this earth.”
They continued at a slow pace, rarely missing. As Billy hoped, their presence in the open on the roof had drawn most of the zombies to that side. He made several trips to the beach side to check and found only a few stragglers swaying about to no se
eming purpose. Joining Jude again, he noticed that his friend had killed several zombies very close to the wall of the building. Jude by this time was laying on his stomach almost hanging over the roof. The dead were beginning to pile up in front of him. Billy touched Jude’s shoulder lightly.
“Not so close,” he said. “Don’t you see what’s happening? Look.”
For the first time, Jude realized that by killing the dead so close to the side of the shelter house that he was in effect building a ramp for the monsters to climb. As they trampled their brothers and sisters, they were gaining on the roof. Their clawing hands were only a couple of feet from the edge of the roof and their excitement was growing, as they were closer to their prey.
“Sorry, Billy. I wasn’t thinking I guess. Just trying not to waste ammo.”
“It’s alright, lets just try to get some more a little ways back that’s all.”
With a nod, Jude returned to his slow firing and Billy joined him. They had thinned the herd some, but it was still a fight against unwinnable numbers, given their ammunition situation. He glanced over his shoulder. For a moment he had the feeling that he was overlooking something.
****************
The zombies felt no fear. They could not be bluffed and the men that were shooting at them from the safety of the roof could never drive them off unless other prey was found. The hunger inside the dead was insatiable. Indeed, they could never be full in the conventional sense. All they could do was dull the hunger for a time. As soon as one fell from a bullet to the brain, another took its place. Some were stepping on the bodies of their fallen comrades and were able to reach higher towards their prey as a result.
The zombies could not think in an abstract manner and complex problem solving was impossible, but they could see that the fallen bodies made their prey closer and thus sating their hunger was also nearer. The germ of this idea began to sweep through the army and they surged forward against the wall of the structure becoming more densely packed together. Some were knocked to the ground and others began climbing on them and in turn they were knocked down. It happened slowly, but the hazy form of a zombie ramp began to grow. The dead felt something approaching excitement and they reached ever higher towards the men.
****************
Per Billy’s instruction Jude was taking aim at the zombies further from the wall. There was no hurry, and he took his time with each shot. The targets were so close that he missed only a few times. Even those rare misses were painful, as the stockpile of ammunition was dwindling. Jude looked for Billy, and saw that he was back on the crown of the roof gazing at the other side of the building towards the boat. Jude wondered why Billy seemed so worried. The plan was working perfectly and they would soon be skimming across the water leaving a herd of hungry zombies trapped on the island. Or at least trapped until the next freeze. That wouldn’t happen until next year, if even then. The cold snap they had had was kind of unusual for this far south. Jude smiled grimly, thinking that the zombies would starve by then. If they could starve.
Billy looked with satisfaction at the nearly clear path to the boat. As long as they were careful when they jumped, he was sure they would make it. He just hoped the boat would start when they got there. He didn’t relish the idea of taking a dip in the lake. He thought he could probably make it ashore, but Jude was not a strong swimmer and Billy worried his friend would drown. Then what would he do, he wondered? Alone in a world of zombies, cold and vulnerable as he would be when he came ashore. It wasn’t a future he wanted to face. The boat had to start. They had stored enough gas to operate the boat for hours. All he needed was enough to the other side of the lake. All of the sudden an idea occurred to him. It might help, he thought.
Jude was reloading, when he first noticed that the dead were building a ramp to reach the roof. He didn’t know whether it was a conscious act or whether they had stumbled into it simply by pressing up against the building, but he could see that they would soon overrun the roof if they were not stopped.
“Billy, we got trouble here, man,” he screamed. “Get over here fast.”
He hurriedly finished loading and blew the head off of a zombie that was climbing towards the top of the pile. He drew a bead on the next closest one and shattered his skull.
“Billy, right now, man!” he screamed again. “We’re gonna have to bug out here in a minute.”
Jude realized if the zombies made it to the roof, then Billy and him would not have the extra time they were counting on to get to the boat and get it started. The dead would follow them off the roof and be right on their heels. He turned to look to see what was keeping Billy. His blood turned to ice when he saw Billy was no longer on the roof. He ran to the apex of the roof and saw nothing. The hole was still there and the boat was still at the dock, but there was no Billy.
Oh, my god, thought Jude. He’s left me here as bait and he must have swung around the island for the small boat. Of course, that’s what he did. He left me here while he took the boat that doesn’t make noise. Jude sank to his knees and the growls from the zombies below faded as the blood pounded in his ears. He was almost weeping when he saw Billy’s head pop out of the hole.
“Why aren’t you on the other side holding them off?” Billy asked.
“I was looking for you, you big dope. You might tell a guy what you’re doing.”
“Jesus, Jude, did you think I ran off without you? Did you think I left you holding the bag?”
“Of course not,” protested Jude. “I just thought that…well, heck, I didn’t know what to think.”
“Well, since you’re here you can make yourself useful.”
Billy disappeared down the hole again and in moments he shoved two gas cans up onto the roof.
“Grab one of these cans, Jude, while I tell you the new plan I just thought of. It’s beautiful and I think it will cover our escape.”
Jude dutifully grabbed the gas can and returned to the back side of the roof with Billy.
“It’s like this, buddy. Just before we’re ready to go, we douse the monsters with a little 98 octane and light them up. It’ll be wild and with luck, the smoke and fire will cover our jumping down the other side. It can’t miss.”
“But, Billy, won’t the building catch fire?”
“Sure it will, but we’ll be gone by that time. I say we give this another ten minutes and then we light em up.”
Jude was grinning. It sounded like it could work. The exit was always the part that bothered him anyway. He was feeling as good as he had felt all day when he saw a hand come over the edge of the roof. It was the scaly paw of a zombie and it was trying to get a grip to pull itself up.
“Billy! Look!” screamed Jude.
Billy dropped his gas can and it slid out of sight over the edge. Billy ran over to the end of the roof and looked down. To his horror he saw that the zombies were climbing on top of each other and were nearing the completion of their ramp. Within minutes they would be overrun. Billy blew away the three zombies nearest to the top, but he saw immediately that it was almost pointless. The zombies merely fell down on top of other zombies and then new ones climbed on top of their bodies. It was only making the end come sooner.
“New plan,” said Billy grimly. “We do it now and then run for our lives.”
With that announcement, Billy grabbed the last gas can out of Jude’s hands and dumped it over the side of the roof, running from end to end as he poured. The gas ran down the side of the building and soaked the top layer of the dead. Billy wished he had time to run back down inside the shelter house for more, but one can would have to do. After all, he thought, one five-gallon can of gas can cause a lot of damage. He stepped back from the edge and looked at Jude.
“You ready to do this thing?” he asked.
In answer, Jude pulled a Zippo lighter out of his pocket, and flipped it open.
“Let’s light this candle, buddy,” he said as he flicked his thumb and lit the lighter.
Billy was watching
and said a silent prayer. Jude tossed the flaming lighter over the edge. Billy thought his heart stopped beating as it flew through the air. For a moment nothing happened. More hands appeared on the roof and one of the dead pulled himself up so that his head was visible. The monster screamed rage at the two men and then there was a whoosh. The entire side of the building burst into flames. Billy couldn’t tell how many of the monsters were on fire, but it didn’t matter anymore. He figured they only had a small window before the tar shingles caught fire too and ignited the entire roof.
“It’s go time,” he shouted at Jude.
Chapter Nine
Both men sprinted to the other side of the roof, while avoiding the hole they had made and looked out on the beach side of the building. There were a dozen or so of the dead shambling about, but it looked as though the plan had worked perfectly. The mass of the zombies was on the other side of the building. Billy hoped they were burning up.
“On three?” Billy asked Jude.
“Yeah, Billy. Hey, buddy, are we gonna make it?”
“Piece of cake. Here we go. One, two, three.”
In tandem both jumped off the roof. Each man was still holding a rifle in his hands. Billy hit the ground hard and did a shoulder roll to help dissipate the impact. Nevertheless, he felt like he had the wind knocked out of him a bit. A zombie was reaching for him as he sprang to his feet. With the butt of his rifle he smashed the monster in the head. Its head fell to one side of its neck, but it continued to advance. Even after all this time Billy was still astonished at the punishment the monsters could take as long as the brain was intact. He swung again and heard the satisfying crunch of the skull.
The rest of the zombies on that side of the building were advancing towards them. Billy hesitated to fire a shot because he feared the noise would bring the remaining zombies down on them. He looked at the shelter house and saw that the tar shingle roof had caught fire and was billowing dark black smoke into the air. He heard Jude groaning and saw that he had not gotten to his feet yet.
Zombie Civilization: Exodus (Zombie Civilization Saga Book 2) Page 5
